Neighbors
by RedBeautySkimmonsFTW
Summary: Sometimes something as simple as mail ending up in the wrong mailbox can lead to something unexpected...


Clarke Griffin loved her apartment building.

The tenants were respectful of one another. They were polite and friendly and welcoming. The lobby was always clean. And the pool area was the best place to tan, lounge, or even throw a little party… with the apartment managers permission, of course. Overall, other than eventually owning her own house one day, there was nowhere else she would rather live.

It also helped that her two best friend's lived on the floor below her.

Clarke stood by the wall of mailboxes, sorting through the pile of mail in her hand. When she heard the door to the lobby open, her attention raised and the smile quickly spread across her lips. "Hey, Rae." She greeted then returned her attention to her mail sorting.

"What's up, Griffin?" Raven returned, adjusting her strap across her shoulders. She joined her at the wall and slid her key into her mailbox. "How was work?"

Clarke made a non-committal noise. "It was work." She furrowed her brow at one of the envelopes then opened it immediately. "How was the lab?"

A proud smile crossed Raven's lips as she pulled the letters out. "I didn't blow anything up today."

The blonde chuckled with a head shake. "Well done, Reyes." She reached out and nudged her friend with the back of her hand. "First time for everything."

Raven narrowed her brown eyes as she closed the tiny metal box. "I'll have you know we have gone thirty-five days without an accident."

Clarke shot her a knowing look. Her eyebrow raised just a bit.

"Okay, thirty-four." Raven admitted, sheepishly. She pointed at Clarke with her mail. "But that one wasn't my fault."

Clarke snorted and bounced her head as she continued to look through her mail. "Sure, sure."

"Anyway…" Raven breathed with a roll of her eyes. "O and I were thinking of going to Polis tonight for a few drinks and maybe play some pool." She slapped Clarke's arm playfully with her mail. "Want to come?"

"Yeah, sure, sounds fun." Clarke's brow knitted together as she stared down at a letter confused.

Raven mirrored her look and stepped a bit closer. "What's wrong?"

"This isn't mine."

Raven glanced down, reading the name on the scrawled across the white envelope. "Who the hell is Alexandria Woods?"

"I think that's my new neighbor."

Raven raised her eyes to meet Clarke's. They widened in horror. "When did you get a new neighbor?"

"She moved in like a week ago." She placed the letter on the top of her pile. "I haven't met her yet. I guess this will be my chance to welcome her to our little haven." She flashed Raven a strange look. "Why do you look so panicked?"

"I live underneath you." Raven reminded, shoving her mail into her bag. "Which means I live underneath her. Which also means, with my luck, she's a stomper."

Clarke laughed. "Oh, stop. You think everyone is a stomper."

"That kid Murphy was a stomper." Raven noted as they made their way toward the elevator together.

"Well, Murphy was an ass who did that to annoy you." Clarke reached out and pressed the button. She glanced at her friend and smiled at the sudden tension in her face. "Listen, I'll drop off her mail, give her the once over, and let you know whether or not she has the tendency to be a stomper, okay?"

"Okay…" Raven grumbled as they elevator dinged and they stepped inside. She pressed the button for her floor then Clarke's. "If she does, tell her I have a broom and I'm not afraid to use it."

Clarke shook her head and huffed. "You know Octavia will kill you if you put another hole in the ceiling."

Raven shrugged her shoulder. "She'll forgive me when there is silence in the apartment." The elevator stopped and the doors opened. She took a step forward, placing her hand in the way of the doors in case they decided to close abruptly. "Meet us at our place at eight?"

Clarke nodded. "See you then."

Raven motioned her head in a short wave and smirked as she stepped out of the elevator and the doors closed behind her.

Clarke leaned against the back of the elevator for the short trip up to her floor. Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she checked her messages as the doors dinged and she stepped out of the elevator. She typed back quickly as she made her way down the hall, the mail balanced precariously underneath her arm.

She paused for a moment, slipping her phone back into her pocket. She took a few more steps and found herself standing in front of her new neighbor's door. Her head tilted slightly at the sound of soft music wafting underneath the door. A small, breathy chuckle released from her throat. It seemed her neighbor appreciated good music. Such a welcome change from Murphy and his love for hard rock.

Clarke removed the mail from under her arm and held it tightly in her hand. She raised her hand and knocked, waiting patiently for some kind of response from the other side. The music lowered and she heard the call of 'just a minute' come from behind the door. Her hand raised to run through her hair and she found herself straightening her appearance.

Why? She had no idea.

"Coming! I'm coming!" the voice called from the other side and Clarke smiled at the urgency in her voice.

The door swung open and Clarke felt her breath catch. Great. Her new neighbor was gorgeous.

The woman eyed her curiously, a small smirk on her lips as she leaned against the door, gripping the handle. Her thick brown hair rested on top of her hair in a messy bun. The tank top she wore accentuated every curve of her body. Showed every perfect piece of her form. If Clarke had a canvas and her art pencil, she would definitely draw this woman exactly as she was standing right now.

To top it all off, her eyes were a shade of green that Clarke had sworn she had only seen in paintings and trees.

"Hello." She greeted, finally breaking the odd silence that had surrounded the small space between them. "May I help you?"

Clarke broke from her stare and cleared her throat. "Uh, sorry. I'm your neighbor… I…" She closed her mouth for a brief second trying to gather her words before continuing. "From across the hall… 5E."

The woman's smirk tilted a bit more and Clarke could feel her heart thump hard against her chest. "What can I do for you, 5E?"

Never in her life had she ever thought her apartment number would sound that sexy. "Mail."

When a confused look crossed the beautiful features of her neighbor, Clarke again inwardly cursed herself for her inability to speak like a normal human being. Usually she was flirty and coherent when she spoke to an attractive woman. There was something about Alexandria Woods that had her completely thrown off.

"Your mail." She corrected herself as she held out the envelope to her. "The mail man accidentally put it in my box…" She paused, feeling the heat rise up her next when her choice of wording earned a mischievous smirk and eyebrow raised from the other woman. "My mailbox."

"Oh, wow, I'm sorry about that." Lexa reached out and took the letter from Clarke. Her fingers brushed against the back of her hand.

Clarke ignored the chill that shuttered through her body. "It's not a problem." She pulled her hand back trying not to seemed to rushed with the action. "It just looked kind of important so I wanted to make sure it got to you."

Green eyes shifted downward and her smile brightened. Her eyes raised to meet Clarke's. "Yeah, I don't know what I would have done without my weekly preapproved credit card." She teased with a small, breathy laugh.

Clarke chuckled at that, running her oddly shaking hand through her hair again. A small silence settled between them and the blonde found herself getting lost in the eyes staring back at her, expectantly. When Lexa's eyebrows raised in a silent question, Clarke knew it was time to go before she said something else that made no sense.

"Well, you never know when you're going to need a new bill in your life."

Why? Why was that statement even necessary?

Her neighbor laughed and bobbed her head. "That's true."

Okay, so maybe getting to hear her laugh made it necessary.

"I'll let you get back to unpacking." Clarke assumed, waving her hand. "Welcome to the building."

"Thank you, 5E." She held up the letter. "And thanks again."

Clarke waved her hand dismissively and blew out a breath. "It was no problem." She took a step back. "If you need anything…" She thrusted her thumb over her shoulder.

"You're right across the hall." Lexa finished with a nod. "I won't forget."

"Please don't." Clarke responded before she could stop herself.

The brunette smiled as Clarke mumbled a few more words then quickly turned toward her apartment. She fumbled with her keys before opening the door and hurrying inside. Once her door was closed, she pressed her back against it and closed her eyes.

"Smooth, Griffin." She muttered to herself as she released an exasperated sigh and pushed herself from the door to walk further inside her apartment….

* * *

"Who was that?"

Lexa closed the door as she tossed the envelope on the table by the door. "My neighbor." She explained as her sister walked into the living room carrying a box. "Apparently my mail was mixed in with hers."

Her sister placed the box on her couch. "Was she cute?"

Lexa half rolled her eyes as she made her way to the couch. "Why is that the first question you ask when I mention a woman, Anya?"

The blonde was so much more than cute. She was beautiful but Lexa was definitely not providing her sister with that information.

Anya drew her brow together before raising one. "Because knowing she's cute is important information." She jumped over the back of the couch and joined her sister. "Especially when your single."

Lexa took in a breath to control her comment. It took everything she had not to scold her older sister for jumping over the back of her brand new couch. "Not every woman I meet is into women." She noted as she began pulling books out of the box.

Anya scoffed. "They are once they meet you."

Lexa made a face and continued to pull each book out one by one, studying the cover in the process.

Anya watched her for a moment then laughed at the fact that her little sister did not agree nor disagree. She reached out and slapped her knee lightly. "Let's go out tonight." She waved her hand around the apartment. "Celebrate your new living space."

"I have a lot to unpack."

"You can take an hour to have a drink with your sister."

Lexa sighed as she halted her movement. She stared at Anya for a moment. "One hour?"

Anya bounced her head from side to side. "Okay, two hours." She made a sharp gesture with her hand. "Two hours and that's it. I promise."

Lexa released a tiny laugh filled with disbelief. "Okay. Even though I don't believe you're going to keep your promise." She stood from the couch, clutching her books in her hand. "But you have to help me get this done. I've been here for a week and it still feels like I moved in yesterday."

Anya grunted then released a whine. "Okay…" She pushed herself from the couch and grabbed the last few items out of the box. She pointed at her sister with the books. "But you are buying the first round."

Lexa's jaw slacked. "You invited me."

"Yeah, but you are forcing me to help you set this place up." She smirked. "Ergo, you buy the first round."

"Ergo." Lexa mocked, her smirk mirroring her sister.

Anya made a face as she walked back toward the bedroom. "Sometimes I like to use words I learned in college." She noted, sticking out her tongue before slipping into the room.

Lexa rolled her eyes and shook her head. "And you're supposed to be the older sister." She muttered as she chuckled lightly and followed behind her…

* * *

"I hate how good you are at this." Raven grumbled as she took a sip from her beer.

Clarke leaned back with a proud smile as she surveyed the pool table. Her hand gripped the pool stick as she turned her attention to Raven. "I can't help it if my Dad and I spent a lot of time at sports bars."

"Her Dad was awesome." Octavia chimed in from her place next to Raven. She rested her hand on the brunette's shoulder, brushing her finger against Raven's neck in the process. "He taught us so much."

"Yeah, like how to cheat at pool." Raven muttered, earning a slap to her shoulder.

"You're just sore loser." Octavia noted, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I'm going to grab another beer." She pointed at Clarke. "Want me to grab you one?"

Clarke nodded as she rested her chin on top of her stick. "Please."

Octavia winked at her and disappeared toward the bar.

Raven rested her pool stick on the table. "I quit." She stated, taking a seat on the stool by the table.

Clarke frowned. "Oh, come on. You can't quit."

"You're kicking my ass!" Raven exclaimed, holding her hand out toward the table. "Play with Octavia when she comes back."

"Okay, fine." Clarke sighed as she placed her stick on the table as well. "She's more competition then you anyway."

Raven opened her mouth then closed it. Her eyes narrowed. "I would argue if it wasn't true."

Clarke chuckled and pulled up a stool to sit adjacent from her friend.

"So how was meeting the new neighbor?"

Clarke felt her neck flush at the mention of the woman across the hall. She reached down and grabbed the front of her open red and white flannel, fanning it slightly. Even with the black tank top underneath, she was hot.

The bar really needed to get the air checked. Or she just needed to stop replaying the vision of green eyes and full lips over and over again in her mind.

"She's nice." Clarke responded, finally. "I mean, we only talked for like a second, but she's nice." She nudged Raven lightly. "I don't think she's a stomper."

Raven studied her for a moment. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as a flash of realization sparkled in her brown eyes. "She's pretty isn't she?"

"What?" Clarke questioned, quickly and rather loudly. She cleared her throat. "I mean; why would you ask that?"

Raven raised her finger and made a circle. "I can see it in your face." She motioned her chin toward Clarke. "What does she look like?"

Clarke stumbled over her response several times. She knew if she went into detail about her neighbors bright green eyes and perfectly structured jawline… she would never hear the end of it. Her eyes caught sight of Octavia returning with two mugs and was thankful for the coming interruption.

"Hey, O." She greeted and Raven shook her head knowingly. She reached out and accepted the drink from her friend. "Thank you."

"No problem." Octavia replied, taking a seat next to Raven. "FYI, Clarke, there is this really hot girl at the bar. You should go check her out."

"Like hotter than her new neighbor hot?" Raven commented, earning a punch to the thigh.

"I never said my neighbor was hot." Clarke corrected, shooting her a glare.

Raven laughed. "You didn't have to."

"Whatever…" Clarke kept her glare on Raven for a moment then returned her attention to Octavia. "Show me."

Octavia shifted on her stool and scanned the bar. She pointed toward three women standing by the bar. "Her." She returned her attention to Clarke. "The one in the dark gray shirt."

Clarke squinted slightly to get a clearer view of where Octavia had directed her. That's when she saw her. In all her gorgeous glory. Her jaw gaped as she watched Lexa chatting with two women at the bar. There was a sexy half grin on her lips and she nodded along as the woman spoke enthusiastically.

"Well?" Octavia questioned, shaking Clarke's knee.

"That's my neighbor." Clarke muttered in response causing Raven to quickly stand from her stool.

"Holy shit… She is hot." Raven blurted out earning a shove from Octavia.

"Um, hello. Girlfriend sitting right next to you." She noted, pointing down at herself.

Raven shot her a look. "Excuse me." She held her hand out in Lexa's direction. "Didn't you just say she was hot two seconds ago?"

"That's different. I was scoping her out for Clarke."

Raven released a bark of a laugh. "Please."

"Will you two stop it?" Clarke requested in a harsh whisper. "And put your hand down, Rae." She reached out, grabbing Raven's wrist and shoving her hand downward.

"Relax. She's not going to hear us." Raven chuckled, sitting back down on her stool.

Clarke bounced her leg anxiously as her attention slowly drifted toward Lexa once again. She couldn't help but watch her. The way she looked so interested in whatever was being said around her. Her eyes focused solely on the woman talking to her.

Until she turned her head and caught eyes with Clarke.

Clarke tried not to pull her gaze away as fast as she did. In her mind, she moved a lot slower. Smoother. She even flashed a small smile before turning away. In reality, Clarke turned her head so fast that she was sure she pulled a muscle in her neck.

"She's coming over."

Clarke exhaled as she ran her hand through her hair. "Of course she is." She muttered, already feeling the burn of her embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

"Hey, 5E." Lexa greeted, standing before them. "Funny seeing you here."

Clarke closed her eyes for a just a moment and took in a calming breath. She plastered on her best, nonchalant smile and turned to meet Lexa's eyes. "Hey… yeah… small world." She clenched her teeth trying not to look at her friends. She could already picture the smug expression on Raven's face. No reason to witness it first-hand.

"My sister asked me to take a break from packing so…" She shrugged her shoulders, her hand clasped around her bottle. "Here I am."

Clarke simply smiled at her. She tried to appear as collected on the outside as she wished she felt. Internally, her heart was racing and her stomach was doing so many backflips she was sure it would qualify for a gold medal. The sound of Raven clearing her throat pulled her from her thoughts. She took in a deep breath then slowly released it.

"These are my friends, Raven and Octavia." She introduced, glancing at them for a second. Raven's grin was in place as expected. "And this is my new neighbor Alexandria."

"No, no… Oh God… please… call me Lexa." She requested, wrinkling her nose. "The only people who call me that are my Mom and random credit card companies." She brought her bottle to her lips and smirked behind it, keeping her gaze on Clarke as she spoke.

Clarke took another sip from her beer as she smiled back. She could feel her composure return the second the liquid made its way down her throat. She swallowed then tapped her nails against her glass. "Well, since we are on the subject of correct names." Her gaze locked with Lexa's. "My name is Clarke. 5E is my apartment."

"Clarke." Lexa repeated, her adorable little smile remaining on her lips.

The sound of her name rolling off of Lexa's tongue made her shiver. She cleared her throat to shake it off. "That is correct."

"That's an interesting name."

"Well, my parents are interesting people."

Raven's gaze shifted from one woman to the next. Her lips curled in a knowing smile. "So, Lexa." She began, drawing the brunette's attention away from Clarke. She titled her head slightly and squinted. "Are you a stomper?"

Lexa looked very confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Oh Jesus Christ…" Octavia breathed, placing her hand over her face.

"Are you a stomper?" Raven asked once again. She motioned her finger between her and Octavia. "Because we live underneath you guys and we don't want to poke a hole in your floor from pushing a broom against our ceiling."

Octavia moved her hand and made a face. "No, not we. You."

Raven rolled her eyes and took a sip from her beer. There was a big gulp followed by a hard swallow before she began to speak again. "So, stomper or no stomper?"

Lexa nodded her head once. "No stomper."

Raven slapped her hand against her thigh. "Excellent." She turned to Clarke with her wide grin. "I approve. You may continue…" She waved her hand between them. "Whatever this is."

"Raven." Clarke warned in a harsh whisper suddenly feeling the need to avoid Lexa's stare.

The feel of a finger tapping her shoulder was the only thing that drew her attention back to Lexa.

"May I buy you a drink?" Lexa requested, the same adorable half smile on her lips. "As a thank you for bringing me my mail."

Clarke shook her head no even though her brain was screaming for her to say yes. "You don't have to do that." She raised her glass. "I already have a…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Raven snatched the glass from her hand and finished her drink in once gulp. She released a satisfied sound and place the glass on the high top table behind her. "Looks like you need another drink, Griffin." She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "You should probably take Lexa here up on her offer."

Clarke glared at her friend even though her heart was skipping at the sound of Lexa's amused chuckle.

"Who do we have here?"

The sound of a strange voice caused them all to turn. Lexa closed her eyes and Clarke could have sworn she heard her curse. She watched as the woman wrapped her arm around Lexa's neck and squeezed.

"Hello, ladies." She greeted with a wide, toothy smile. "I'm Anya. Lexa's sister."

"Christ, there's two of you?" Raven commented causing Octavia to nudge her hard in the ribs.

Lexa sighed and raised her hand. "Anya, this is Raven and Octavia." She paused for a just a moment, taking in a breath. "And my neighbor from across the hall, Clarke."

"Oh…" Anya breathed, dragging out the word. She reached out and took Clarke's hand in her own. "You're the neighbor." She shook her hand up and down several times. "It's nice to meet you."

Now Clarke was the one who was confused. "You too."

Anya released her hand and returned her grip around her sister's neck. She whispered a few words that earned her a hard jab to the stomach courtesy of Lexa's elbow. The older Woods grunted at the contact then released a laugh.

She shrugged her sister off of her and focused solely on Clarke. "So, about that drink?"

Clarke raised her hands. "Since I am now officially drinkless." She shot Raven a faux dirty look before standing from her stool. "I'd love too."

* * *

Lexa didn't bother to contain her smile as she stepped to the side to allow Clarke to go first. She ignored the whispered comments from her sister as she followed behind the blonde. They walked together in comfortable silencing both exchanging a glance when they heard Octavia challenge Anya to a game of pool.

"I hope your sister doesn't bet any money." Clarke warned, softly as Lexa looked at her curiously. The blonde flashed a half smile. "Octavia is an undercover pool shark."

Lexa chuckled. "Let Anya lose her money." She waited for Clarke to sit at the bar first before taking the seat next to her. "It'll teach her a lesson."

Clarke watched as Lexa flashed her perfect teeth at the bartender who seemed to come running the second Lexa looked in her direction. Lexa asked for a suggestion on drinks and the bartender was more than happy to give her recommendations. Some of which sounded dangerously close to sexual innuendos. Clarke appreciated the way Lexa side stepped every remark. Politely requesting a drink for herself then turning to Clarke and asking what she would like.

The bartender didn't appreciate the blonde as much as she appreciated Lexa. But, Clarke ordered with a smug smile then rested her hand on Lexa's wrist, drawing the brunette's attention back to her. She prayed her little territorial movement didn't cause the bartender to spit in her drink. Luckily, they could watch every move the woman made.

The two chatted briefly, asking the standard getting to know your neighbor questions.

Lexa worked with her sister. She was an accountant at a large firm in the city.

"That sounds like fun." Clarke remarked, bringing her drink to her lips.

Lexa scoffed. "Liar." She took a sip of her whiskey without any facial reaction toward the liquid.

Clarke knew it that was her drink, she would have at least released some awful gagging noise. She chuckled behind her glass and took a sip. She swallowed as she placed the glass back down on the table. "No, I'm serious." She stated, shifting her stool she was better facing Lexa.

Lexa regarded her for a moment through playfully narrowed eyes. Her features relaxed and her smile returned. "I just like numbers. There's a strategy behind math."

"I was never very good at match."

Lexa leaned in a little closer, her elbow resting on the bar. "What are you good at, Clarke?"

The effects from the alcohol were definitely getting to her. As she stared into Lexa's eyes, there were so many answers she wanted to give. So many inappropriate answers but no. She hardly knew this woman. And she wanted to know her. She wanted to know everything about her.

"Art." Clarke responded, finally. She shoved back every other off the wall response her mouth was threatening to give. "I'm an artist."

"Really?" Lexa looked intrigued.

Clarke nodded as she lifted her glass again. "But in order to pay rent, I work at the hospital with my mother."

When Lexa laughed so did Clarke.

"I'm sure your work is wonderful." Lexa commented, taking another sip from her drink.

"You'll have to see it sometime." Clarke suggested as she took a sip from her own as well. "I have a few pieces hanging in my apartment."

"Is that an invitation?" Lexa smirked mischievously behind her glass.

Clarke did her best to not choke on her drink. She brought her hand to her mouth and cleared her throat. She regained her composure and shot Lexa a sideways glance. "Let's just see how tonight goes."

Lexa released another chuckle and nodded her head. "I like you, 5E." She stated, holding her drink out to Clarke. "I'm glad we met."

Clarke felt her blood tingle through her body. She offered a full smile as she raised her glass as well. "A thank you to our horrible mail man." She clinked her glass against Lexa's.

"I will definitely drink to that." Lexa agreed as she raised her glass to Clarke and they both finished their drink simultaneously.

The glasses landed back on the table together making a loud thud at the impact. Green eyes watched the adorable shutter flow through Clarke's body from the alcohol and the smile that followed just would not stop. Lexa shook her head from her thoughts and her jaw twitched as she rested her hand against her temple.

"One more?" She asked, watching Clarke fondly.

Clarke studied her face for a moment. Taking in every little feature. It was so hard to get passed her eyes and lips. The elegant curve of her neck. She tried to fight it her staring. She didn't want to not come off like teenager with a wild crush. She watched as Lexa's eyes followed her own. She seemed to be studying Clarke as well. Her gaze danced away from Clarke's mouth quickly and met her eyes for a long moment. An expectant look suddenly overtaking her features.

That's the moment when Clarke remembered that Lexa had asked her a question.

"Sure." Clarke responded, finally.

Lexa flashed her soft smile and straightened back up. She twisted her chair so she could tap her fingers on the bar. When she caught the bartender's attention again, she raised her fingers to signal for two more. The bartender nodded. Her response seemed a little less enthusiastic this time around.

Clarke couldn't help but feel proud of that.

Their drinks arrived and, once again, Lexa raised her glass to hers. They clinked together and took at drink. Clarke didn't want this night to end. She could sit at the bar with Lexa all night, if that's what she wanted.

Besides… the getting to know you stuff was always her favorite part.


End file.
